Portway Farm Meadows

Also within

Worcestershire County

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Jurassic

Description

Description Portway Farm Meadows are located on the East Worcestershire plain half a kilometre east of the village of Flyford Flavell. The two meadows overlie a medieval ridge and furrow system and have been maintained by traditional management as hay meadows and pasture. The soils are poorly drained and slightly calcareous base rich derived from the underlying Lower Lias clay of the Jurassic Period. The special interest of the site lies in the diversity of the semi natural grassland sward with its rich assemblage of herbs and grasses. The dominant vegetation mesotrophic neutral grassland, is characterised by common knapweed Centaurea nigra and crested dog’s tail Cynosurus cristatus. The more calcareous soils support the lady’s bedstraw Galium verum sub community of this grassland type, with characteristic species present including agrimony Agrimonia eupatoria, hoary plantain Plantago media and salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba. Both meadows contain a rich assemblage of associated plants. Frequent species on the ridges include cowslip Primula veris, common bird’s foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor agg., rough hawkbit Leontodon hispidus and autumn hawkbit Scorzoneroides autumnalis. The southern meadow is floristically the richest, with 22 species of grass including downy oat grass Avenula pubescens, tor grass Brachypodium pinnatum, quaking grass Briza media and meadow brome Bromus commutatus. Locally uncommon species occurring include dropwort Filipendula vulgaris, dyer’s greenweed Genista tinctoria, adder’s tongue Ophioglossum vulgatum, pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus and spiny rest-harrow Ononis spinosa. The furrows are less herb dominated but contain a rich grass flora which includes yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens, meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis and tall fescue Schedonorus arundinaceus. Some of the furrows in the southern meadow are seasonally wet and have a modified vegetation type conforming to the yellow oat grass sub community of the perennial rye grass Lolium perenne – crested dog’s tail grassland. Both meadows are bounded on three sides by species rich hedgerows which contain English elm Ulmus procera, ash Fraxinus excelsior, midland hawthorn Crataegus laevigata and field maple Acer campestre.

Species mentioned